NATIVE AMERICAN HERBAL MEDICINES

Alder[Alnus] – used as an astringent on wounds by many tribes. Also used against cramps by the Penobscot and for ague by the Onondaga.

Alum Root – used for wounds and sores by many tribes. The Menominee used it for diarrhea.

Angelica [Angelica atropurpurea] – used by the Creeks for stomach problems and worms.

Arnica [Arnica fulgens] – used by Catawbas for back pain.

Ash tree[Fraxinus americana] – used by the Delaware for rattlesnake bites and by the Meskwaki as an astringent for sores.

Balm of Gilead [Populus candicans] – Menominees and Forest Potawatomis used it for sores and wounds; the Menominees and Pillager Ojibwas breathed in the odors for colds and bronchitis.

Bayberry [Myrica cerifera] – used by the Choctaws for fever and the Houma for worms.

Bedstraw [Galium Trifidum] – used by Pillager Ojibwas as a tea for curing skin disease.

Birch Bark [Betula] – widely used by Indian tribes for coughs and colds. The Creeks used white birch for tuberculosis.

Blackberry – used by the Alabama as a toothache remedy; the root was used by the Menominees and Prairie Potawatomis as an eyewash and poultice. The Meskawis used it for stomach trouble and to counteract poisons.

Blue Flag [Iris versicolor] – many tribes used it for sores. The Creeks and Ojibwa used it as a cathartic and emetic; it was applied by many tribes to burns and bruises.

Boneset – was used in teas by many tribes, including for colds and fever by the Iroquois and Mohegans and for stomach problems by the Alabamas. The Menominee used it against fevers. It was also used in a multi-herbal concoction by the Penobscot for curing gonorrhea.

Butterfly Weed [Asclepias tuberosa] – used by the Omaha for breathing problems and wounds, and by the Natchez for pneumonia.

Cayenne Pepper – used for earache by the Maya.

Cascara sagrada [Rhamnus purshiana] – cathartic used by Indians from Northern California to British Columbia.

Copaiba – used by Brazilian Indians for wounds.

Chichona Bark – anti-malaria remedy used by South American Indians (quinine is extracted from it.)

Chokecherry – given in drink to cure hemorrhage after childbirth by the Arikaras.

Coca [Erythroxylon coca] – Incas and other South American Indians used it as a local anesthetic during trephinations (cocaine is extracted from it.)

Dogwood [Cornus Florida] – used by American Indian tribes to reduce fever.

Devil’s Club Root Bark [Fatsia horrida] – used for diabetes by Indians of British Columbia.

Ginger – The Ojibwe used a poultice of wild ginger and spikenard to wrap broken limbs.

Goldenrod – used as a stimulant tea by North American Indians. The Meskwakis used it on bee stings.

Ipecac – used as a purgative by South American Indians.

Jack-in-the-Pulpit – used for bowel problems by the Delaware Indian tribe.

Jimson Weed [Datura] – Aztecs made an ointment of the ground seeds for treating gout and burns; they created two gout medicines from it (tlapatl and mixitl).

Sweet Gum/Copal – the sap (copal) was used by American Indian tribes as a stimulant, expectorant and antiseptic.

Thistle – boiled roots were used by the Comanches in a drink to cure gonorrhea.

Tobacco – used by the Rappahannock, Mohegan and Malecite Indian tribes to cure earache (by blowing the smoke into the ears). Tobacco was also used on wounds. The Maya used tobacco on insect bites and stings.

Touch-me-not [Impatiens Biflora] – Omahas used it against skin rashes.

Wild Cherry Root – used against worms by the Ojibwe tribe.

Wild Morning Glory – used as a narcotic by the Aztecs (ololiuhqui) and also used as an external remedy for gout and a purgative for fevers and abdominal distress.

Wild Plum Root – used against worms by the Ojibwe tribe.

Wintergreen – used as a stimulant tea by North American Indian tribes. The Penobscot tribe mixed it with wild indigo, cleavers vine, spikenard root, Solomon’s seal, moosewood and boneset and drank it for gonorrhea and kidney trouble.

Witch Hazel [Hamamelis Virginia] – used by Mohawk tribe as an astringent.

Wormseed/Jerusalem Oak – used against worms by the Natchez tribe.

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I am a woman, a daughter, a wife, a child, a friend, I am a human being on the Earth! I love gardening, animals, birds, all kind of beings. I try to live a healthy natural lifestyle and to stay connected with Mother Nature.View all posts published by Jorjette C →

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